While fans in Boston likely won't be any less vehement in their defense of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the news that Brady gave a speech to visiting Vancouver Canucks players ahead of a game this season against their beloved Boston Bruins may at the very least be cause for a head scratch or two.
Part of the information dump that came along with the NFLPA-NFL lawsuit this week was a bevy of Brady's personal emails. Many pertain to schematic talk with Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and conversations between the future Hall of Fame quarterback and his very own Money Team, but there was one that was particularly eye-catching in its uniqueness. It's a conversation between Brady and Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini in which Aquilini asks that Brady speak with his players. While there's no confirmation that Brady actually did, from the sounds of the email thread, it likely happened.
Check it out for yourself (h/t to Deadspin):
On Feb 11, 2015, at 5:47 PM, Francesco Aquilini wrote:
Tom: Let's just skip the whole talk to the players thing and just go to dinner. We will just have fun. Cheers Francesco
From: Tom Brady Date:02-11-2015 8:06 PM (GMT-08:00)
To: Francesco Aquilini
Subject: Re: Dinner
Hi there I apologize for the late reply. We have been traveling all day to Montana and just getting settled. Gisele is still in brazil so I am just trying to coordinate schedules w her too. I would love to help you and your players out, I also know it can be a very sensitive topic for players/coaches especially when it comes to taking care of their bodies. If you think it would be a great benefit to them it would be my pleasure to help. Why don't be both sleep on it for a couple days and see how we feel. I wouldn't want it to be a waste of their time and I also know if the players aren't open or receptive to making changes then it will be a waste of my time. Let me know how that sounds. I look forward to seeing you soon. Take care
On Feb 20, 2015, at 9:35 AM, Francesco Aquilini wrote:
Tom: Any Looking forward to seeing you and Gisele on Monday for dinner. Do you have a place in mind? On the player note, I spoke to my guys about meeting with you and how they felt about it. I told them that they would need to be open to listen to different ideas otherwise their is no point in meeting. They were thrilled and really honoured that you would make the time for them and said they would love hear your preparation and body maintenance for games. (Don't let a small problem become a big problem!). They are really looking forward to meeting you. Just from my conversation with you last summer it was amazing how far advanced you are in sports science. They will only benefit from someone like you that is actually doing it as opposed to theory. I've spent a lot of time on sports science, you are by far the most advanced I terms of its application. They are really interested in what you have to say on a lot of topics especially someone who has had a long successful career in pro sports and winning so many championships. If your still open to the idea we can meet for an hour before dinner somewhere and then go to dinner from there. There will be 6 guys from our leadership group and Trevor Linden our President and myself. It can be a round table discussion very casual. Cheers!
On Feb 20, 2015, at 10:18 PM, Tom Brady wrote:
Hi there. That sounds good to me. It will be a fun experience for me to share what I know with your players. I have been very fortunate to learn the right information from the best person in the world whom I work with. His name is Alex. He is my body coach and the person who I am blessed to have learned from. I would like to bring him also so he can answer some technical questions if the guys have any. He hasn't been wrong 1 time in the 11 years we have worked together. We should allow 2 hours as time will fly. As for dinner, there is a great restaurant called Oishii. It is in Boston. We can go with our wives there. I do have one request. I am starting a foundation as it relates to the business Alex and I have together. We want to educate all athletes on sustained peak performance. As you might imagine, we turn kids and parents away who can't afford to come and get treatment at our center. Sometimes they come for one treatment and are headed in the right direction but can't follow up because they dont have the financial means. That has been a challenging issue for our center because our body coaches are also care givers and it's hard to turn people in need away. I would only ask that after our meeting, if you feel like we have helped you and your team, that you would make a donation to our foundation to treat those young athletes who can't quite afford it. Thanks Francesco I look forward to seeing you
From: Francesco Aquilini
Date: 02/21/2015 5:05 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Tom Brady
Subject: Re: Dinner
Tom! Dinner sounds great! We would be glad to donate to your foundation! It's for a good cause. Lets discuss it when I see you. If we could meet with the players say at 3:30 on Monday that should give us enough time before the dinner. I think we are Getting a meeting room at the four seasons. I will confirm with you the location. Say Dinner at 7 pm at Oishii.
On Feb 22, 2015, at 8:45 PM, Francesco Aquilini wrote:
Just so you know who is coming tomorrow They all know to keep our meeting very confidential, not to discuss it with anyone. See you tomorrow
On Feb 22, 2015, at 9:05 PM, Tom Brady wrote:
Great I look forward to seeing and meeting them all. Hopefully we can all learn something. My friend and partner Alex Guerrero has been my body coach for 11 years and he has taught me so much. It will be a fun discussion. Safe travels have a fun night in LA.
From: Francesco Aquilini
Date: 02/23/2015 11:40 AM (GMT-05:00)
To: Tom Brady
Subject: Re: Dinner
Just got feedback the players are really excited to meet you and hear what you have to say.
Sure sounds like Brady wound up giving a pep talk to the Canucks crew ahead of their hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Bruins. While Brady's talk with the team likely had little influence on the outcome of the game, it's likely aggravating for fans of the black and gold to hear that their All Pro quarterback was fraternizing with the enemy.
So, what say you Bruins fans? Is this news upsetting or much ado about nothing?
